In the most anticipated game of the college basketball season, an NCAA-record on-campus crowd of 34,616 cheered from opening tip to final buzzer as the fourth-ranked Orange trounced No. 7 Villanova 95-77 at the Carrier Dome on Saturday night.

After leading 46-36 at halftime, Syracuse led by as many as 23 points in the second half, sending the mass of orange towels and big heads into a frenzy.

With three minutes remaining in the game and Syracuse running away from the Wildcats, Andy Rautins came out of a timeout huddle and marveled at what he saw:

A record crowd — a sea of orange that stretched from one end zone to the opposite end of the Dome — standing and roaring its approval.

“It was phenomenal,” Rautins said. “It was really indescribable, actually. The fans were cheering and all I could do was smile. Chills ran through my body.”

The Syracuse-Villanova game had been sold out for weeks, a sellout in a building where such a thing had been thought impossible. Fans sat in seats that would have been great — for a football game.

The pregame buzz felt more like a Springsteen concert than a college basketball game. A host of past Syracuse greats, including Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens, Pearl Washington, Lawrence Moten and John Wallace took in the game from courtside.

The game itself turned into a celebration as Syracuse kept extending its lead on a bevy of dunks from Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku.

By evening’s end the celebration had turned to a coronation. With over two minutes remaining, the Carrier Dome crowd began chanting, “We’re No. 1!”

And with No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Kentucky losing earlier in the day, who could argue?

Syracuse, which entered the season unranked and unloved, stamped itself as a national championship contender by dismantling one of the best teams in the country.

When the game finally ended, there was Derrick Coleman running onto the court and picking up Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine in his massive arms and bear-hugging them — at the same time.

Villanova coach Jay Wright compared Syracuse to the three Big East teams that secured No. 1 seeds in last year’s NCAA Tournament, along with his own Villanova squad which reached last year’s Final Four.

“This team is the first team that I’ve seen that is comparable to the four teams last year,” Wright said.

Syracuse improved to 27-2 overall and 14-2 in the Big East. The win clinched at least a tie for the Big East’s regular-season title and also guaranteed the Orange the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. Syracuse last won the Big East’s regular-season crown in 2002-03, a season that finished with the Orange winning the NCAA championship.

The Orange’s 27 victories breaks the school record for a regular season. The 1990-91 Orange won 26 games. Syracuse is now 7-0 against ranked opponents this season.

Villanova fell to 23-5 overall and 12-4 in the Big East. The best the Wildcats can do in the conference race is finish in a tie with Syracuse, but the Orange will hold the tie-breaker advantage.

Of Syracuse’s top seven players, six reached double figures. Syracuse’s balanced attack was apparent when the Orange led 63-52 with over 13 minutes remaining and five Orange players were already in double figures.

“That’s the way we play,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “We try to get balance.”

Syracuse maintained similar balance on the boards. Five players had at least seven rebounds, with Wes Johnson leading the way with 10.

“They played terrific,” Rautins said of the two Syracuse big men. “When Arinze’s like that, I think we’re probably the best team in the country. When he’s dominant, he’s rebounding and he’s putting back dunks.

“When Rick gets the ball down there, he’s going to score,” Rautins added. “It’s inevitable. When those two guys are playing well, we’re extremely tough to beat.”

Syracuse’s top two reserves, Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph, both scored 16 points.

“In the first half, Kris and Scoop were huge,” Boeheim said. “I’ve said all year, those two guys are just like starters and they played like starters.”

Syracuse’s 2-3 zone defense stymied Villanova, which entered the game as the Big East’s top-scoring team. The Wildcats made just 41.8 percent of their field-goal attempts and just 28.6 percent (8-for-28) from 3-point range. The Orange forced Villanova into 17 turnovers and out-scored Villanova 18-2 in transition as a result.

The final scene was surreal. Even to the greats in attendance.

“Derrick and I were talking about it,” SU legend Billy Owens said. “It was so amazing to see people sitting way back there. What was the purpose? They couldn’t see anything. But everybody was in orange. It was a great atmosphere.”